“Definitely.” Ember either didn’t notice the woman’s hesitation about her wheelchair or was really good at ignoring it.
At least she’s got that part down already. Cheyenne stepped around the chair to stand beside her friend and stuck her hands in the pockets of her baggy black pants with small rips in the knees.
“Of course.” Caroline clasped her hands together, glanced one more time at her computer, and smiled even wider. “I’ll take you to one of our show units with the same layout. You can get a feel for what it might look like with all your things moved in.”
“Sounds great.”
“I’ll just step into the back office to grab the keys, and we’ll go take a look.” Caroline patted her desk as she nodded at Ember, and her eyes flickered toward Cheyenne before she spun neatly around and headed through an unmarked door on the other side of her desk.
“This’ll be fun,” Cheyenne muttered.
Ember chuckled and folded her arms. “Something tells me you’re not talking about going to check out another apartment.”
“Well, yeah, that too. But I think she expected her two-thirty appointment to look a little different.” The halfling turned to eye the closed door where Caroline had disappeared. “I think she’s having a hard time deciding which of us to be more concerned about.”
“What?” The fae pretended shock and pressed a hand to her chest. “You mean everyone can’t already tell that we’re both upstanding citizens looking to improve our current living arrangements?”
“Oh, man.” Cheyenne hissed a laugh and shook her head. “I gotta take you to meet my mom sometime. She’d love you.”
“I don’t know if I’m quite her style.”
“Ha. Maybe I just want to see the look on her face when you pull out the sarcasm.”
Ember raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure she gets plenty of that from you.”
Cheyenne slowly shook her head, her eyes wide as she fought to keep the image of Bianca Summerlin’s reaction at bay. “Not for a long time. You might say she had a certain way of grooming it out of me. At least when I’m around her or any of her peers.”
“Oh, I get it. You just want to make her squirm when she sees your best friend has the balls to act that way around her, and you don’t.”
The halfling pointed a warning finger at her friend and swallowed another laugh. “Low blow, but dead-on.” Ember rolled her eyes. “No, for real, though, Em. It’s a fun thought to entertain, but I know it won’t happen. You’re too adaptable.”
“I can’t tell if that’s an insult or a compliment.”
Cheyenne shrugged, laughing when the fae girl smacked her arm with the back of a hand. “Seriously, we’d have a good time. We’ll wheel you out onto the veranda and open some wine. Eleanor makes a mean chicken cacciatore when the mood strikes.”
Ember’s eyes widened as she tried to process that mental image. “Now who’s getting fancy?”
“Just sayin’. It’s a whole new world out there in the middle of nowhere.”
The unmarked door on the other side of the desk opened, and the receptionist stepped toward them, dangling a single key on a keyring. “Here we go. Can I offer either of you something to drink? We have wine, red or white. Mineral or flat water, if you prefer.”
“No champagne?” Cheyenne asked with a deadpan stare.
“I’m sorry?”
“No, no. Don’t apologize. It’s fine.” The halfling lifted a hand and dipped her head. Wow, that even feels like Mom.
“Of...of course.” Caroline blinked furiously and turned her attention to Ember. “For you, Ms. Gaderow?”
Ember fought down another laugh and shook her head. “No, thank you. We’re ready to go take a look at that loft.”
“Absolutely. We’ll just step outside the Guest Center and head to the first building on the right. This way.” The woman nodded and brushed past them without looking at Cheyenne.
The halfling leaned down to whisper in her friend’s ear, “I told you this would be fun.”
“You’re gonna make her pull her hair out,” Ember muttered.
“Well, if we like this place and wanna seal the deal, just wait ‘til we get to the paperwork-signing part.”
“Oh, boy. Here we go.”
They shared another quiet laugh that cut off abruptly when Caroline held the front door open for them. Then they were back outside on the pathway across the Guest Center’s manicured lawn. The woman leading the way kept up a brisk pace to the first building on the right, and Cheyenne made it a point to stay several feet behind her at all times.
“Here we are.” Caroline opened another entrance door, and in they went. “So tell me, Ms. Gaderow. What made you decide to visit Pellerville Gables Apartments this afternoon?”
Cheyenne wheeled her friend into the lobby of the apartment building, which was a smaller version of the Guest Center.
“Well, I checked out the website. The pictures looked really nice, and I saw two-bedroom lofts were still available, so I gave you a call.”
“Excellent. And who referred you to us, if you don’t mind my asking?” Caroline led them down the hallway in the back toward the two elevators.
“Um, Google.”
The woman turned quickly to shoot Ember an incredulous glance and tried to cover her surprise. “I see.”
She stabbed the elevator call button and stared up at the little upward-pointing triangle, now glowing with a soft white light.
Cheyenne drummed her fingers on the handles of the wheelchair and watched their apartment tour guide. They don’t get a lot of potential residents right off the street like this. She doesn’t know what to do with herself.
The elevator doors opened with a ding, and Caroline stepped back with a gesture for them to enter. “After you.”
“Thank you.” Ember dipped her head, and Cheyenne pushed the chair just roughly enough to wheel it over the metal strip without getting stuck. A small laugh of surprise burst from Ember’s mouth as her head whipped back,
